[Iowa-dx] What it means to become a US citizen....

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:07:46 -0600

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Fellow Greens- A good friend of mine became a US citizen recently, and 
this is the short speech the presiding Judge (Robert Pratt) gave 
regarding what it means to become, and be, and American. I was touched 
by it, and would like to share it with all of you.

Enjoy!

Daryl Northrop
Co-Chair IAGP

*********************

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to be the first to congratulate 
you on your new citizenship. A little later this morning I will again 
congratulate each of you personally when I present you your certificate 
of citizenship, and I certainly look forward to that.

I realize that for many of you a difficult part of the oath of 
allegiance you just took is the part where you renounced allegiance to 
any foreign state or sovereignty. I wish to remind you that what you 
solemnly renounced in that oath is allegiance to the _government_ of 
another land. You did not renounce, nor should you ever renounce, the 
devotion you carry in your heart for the people of your native land. 
Preserve that always.

And for the benefit of your children and your grandchildren, as well as 
your own benefit, I suggest that you master the English language-- learn 
it well--but also preserve your native language and heritage and 
culture. Doing so enriches not only the lives of those in your 
family--doing so also enriches America and all of us living here. For 
over 200 years this country has been blessed with a constant infusion of 
new people from all over the world who brought their languages, their 
heritages and their cultural values with them. Today it is you who so 
bless us.

Now I wish to speak about you as United States citizens, which you now are.

You may hear voices in this land say that there is only one true 
American religion. Do not believe it. As an American you may freely and 
openly be a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or you may 
adhere to any other religion, or you may be an agnostic or an atheist.

You may hear voices in this land say that there is only one true 
American way to think and believe about political matters, economic 
matters, and social matters. Do not believe it. As an American you may 
freely and openly adhere to political, economic and social views on the 
right, on the left, or anywhere in between.

You may hear voices in this land say that there is only one true 
American set of values. Do not believe it. As an American you may openly 
hold beliefs and values greatly different from those of others--even if 
those of others are shared by many and yours are shared by few.

Simply stated, there is no single American way to think or believe. 
Indeed, conformity of thought and belief would be contrary to the 
underlying principles of this great nation.

The late A. Bartlett Giamatti, who served as President of Yale 
University in the early 1980's, in his welcoming address to the freshman 
class at Yale in 1981, spoke of "The Legitimacy of Differentness" that 
is so vital to our American Society. Dr. Giamatti warned the Yale 
freshmen about, to use his words,

"A radical assault on the very pluralism--of peoples, political beliefs, 
values, forms of merit and systems of religion--our country was founded 
to welcome and foster."

Dr. Giamatti went on to say:

"People of different ethnic groups and races and adherents of various 
religious and political and personal beliefs have a right to coexist as 
equals under the law, and have an obligation to forge the freedoms they 
enjoy into a coherent, civilized and vigilant whole."

I believe that Dr. Giamatti's words on that occasion are well worth 
remembering on this occasion. And I believe that it is also well worth 
remembering that the courts of this land are here to protect and 
preserve your right as Americans to freely and openly think and believe 
as you wish, and to be different.

I welcome you to citizenship, and I rejoice in the enrichment that each 
of you brings to our land.

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Fellow Greens- A good friend of mine became a US citizen recently, and
this is the short speech the presiding Judge (Robert Pratt) gave
regarding what it means to become, and be, and American. I was touched
by it, and would like to share it with all of you. 
 
Enjoy! 
 
Daryl Northrop 
Co-Chair IAGP 
 
********************* 
 
 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my
privilege to be the first to congratulate you on your new
citizenship. A little later this morning I will again congratulate
each of you personally when I present you your certificate of
citizenship, and I certainly look forward to that.

I realize that for many of you a
difficult part of the oath of allegiance you just took is the part
where you renounced allegiance to any foreign state or sovereignty. I
wish to remind you that what you solemnly renounced in that oath is
allegiance to the government
of another land. You did not renounce, nor should you ever renounce,
the devotion you carry in your heart for the people of your native
land. Preserve that always.

And for the benefit of your
children and your grandchildren, as well as your own benefit, I
suggest that you master the English language-- learn it well--but
also preserve your native language and heritage and culture. Doing
so enriches not only the lives of those in your family--doing so also
enriches America and all of us living here. For over 200 years this
country has been blessed with a constant infusion of new people from
all over the world who brought their languages, their heritages and
their cultural values with them. Today it is you who so bless us.

Now I wish to speak about you as
United States citizens, which you now are.

You may hear voices in this land
say that there is only one true American religion. Do not believe
it. As an American you may freely and openly be a Christian, a Jew,
a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or you may adhere to any other
religion, or you may be an agnostic or an atheist.

You may hear voices in this land
say that there is only one true American way to think and believe
about political matters, economic matters, and social matters. Do
not believe it. As an American you may freely and openly adhere to
political, economic and social views on the right, on the left, or
anywhere in between.

You may hear voices in this land
say that there is only one true American set of values. Do not
believe it. As an American you may openly hold beliefs and values
greatly different from those of others--even if those of others are
shared by many and yours are shared by few.

Simply stated, there is no single
American way to think or believe. Indeed, conformity of thought and
belief would be contrary to the underlying principles of this great
nation.

The late A. Bartlett Giamatti, who
served as President of Yale University in the early 1980's, in his
welcoming address to the freshman class at Yale in 1981, spoke of
"The Legitimacy of Differentness" that is so vital to our
American Society. Dr. Giamatti warned the Yale freshmen about, to
use his words,

"A radical assault on the
very pluralism--of peoples, political beliefs, values, forms of merit
and systems of religion--our country was founded to welcome and
foster."
Dr.
Giamatti went on to say:

"People of different ethnic
groups and races and adherents of various religious and political and
personal beliefs have a right to coexist as equals under the law, and
have an obligation to forge the freedoms they enjoy into a coherent,
civilized and vigilant whole."
I
believe that Dr. Giamatti's words on that occasion are well worth
remembering on this occasion. And I believe that it is also well
worth remembering that the courts of this land are here to protect
and preserve your right as Americans to freely and openly think and
believe as you wish, and to be different.

I welcome you to citizenship, and
I rejoice in the enrichment that each of you brings to our land.
 

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